Sacrifice of the Demon
by 000000000000000000000Zero00000
Summary: Zoro has sacrificed himself time and time again for the sake of his crew and always paid the price for their safety. Except this time, the price may be the steeper than anyone imagined. Will he survive?


**This is my new fanfic, I won't stop White Phantom Crimson Demon but I'll also work on this from time to time when I've got writers block, _if_ people want me to continue. Thanks to Vanister X for beta-ing**

Cannon fire littered the air as the Straw-hat crew was chased by warships of the Marines and World Government.

"Damn it Straw-hat! We can't keep running forever, we're surrounded!" Yelled Franky.

Brook sliced in half an incoming cannonball "Luffy-san, please! Find a way for us to escape! We can't hold off all of this gunfire!"

Luffy turned towards his navigator "Oi, Nami! Think of something!"

Nami hung her head, her eyes bleak. "T-there's nothing we can do Luffy." And sadly, it was true. They had no ammunition, they had no rations, they were outnumbered and they were exhausted. All of their options were barred and they had no more tricks or aces to pull. Unless someone was willing to do something brave but more idiotic than Luffy would even consider doing the chances of their escape were literally nonexistent.

"I can buy you ten minutes. Get going as soon as I give the signal" Zoro said as he lowered a life boat into the water.

And apparently that brave idiot was none other than a certain green-haired pirate hunter.

"Are you crazy!? You'll be killed!" cried Franky.

"I'll live." Zoro was about to jump into the boat but he was stopped as Sanji placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You shit-head. You're actually going through with this?" he asked.

"My position as first-mate isn't like yours shit-cook. I don't prepare food or fix the ship. It's my job to keep the crew alive until the voyage is over." Zoro shook off Sanji's hand from his shoulder and turned to face him "You guys still have a long way to go, so you'd better hurry when you find an opening."

None of them protested. They couldn't find the strength to. Normally, everyone would grab Zoro, punch him till he gained enough bumps to make him grow a foot in height and yell that they were nakama and would never abandon each other. Normally, they would come up with a crazy plan that depended mainly, scratch that, _entirely_ on luck and somehow pull it off. Normally, they would use this as an opportunity to grow closer and become stronger as people and comrades.

But this wasn't a normal situation. They had been caught off guard and chased for days. They were always trying to escape and hold their ground, whether it was deflecting gunfire or fixing any damage that my have been accumulated, only stopping for brief periods of time to eat quickly and then get back to work seconds later. There was no rest, no time to calm down. Eventually they lost all mental strength, their bodies only moving mechanically, as though they were puppets, lifeless but in motion.

They were tired. They couldn't think clearly. They didn't want to think clearly, it would only make them more tired and burn up more energy. All they knew at the moment was that Zoro was offering them a way out of this Hell and that they weren't going to die. They only did what they thought was sensible at the moment:

They gave up Zoro.

They weren't happy about it at all, but that's what they did.

"Zoro," said Luffy solemnly. "Here" he handed him his straw hat "make sure you return it when you come back. Captain's orders."

"Yes sir" Zoro put on the trademark straw hat of Monkey D. Luffy. As he lowered himself down to the cannon shredded waves and slowly drifted towards the battle ships not once did he look back nor shed a single tear. Everyone else cried except for Sanji, Robin and Luffy, although tears were threatening to spill from even their eyes. They all knew that crying over the sacrifice their First mate was about to make would be like spitting in his face; he was fighting for them so they could keep laughing, not so that they would cry, but they couldn't help it. Zoro had been the first to board the ship of fools under the command of Luffy. He had been a key player in every one of the Straw-hats major victories. He was always with them, always ready to draw his swords, always ready to put his life on the line, always there to help. And now, despite saying otherwise, he was sailing to his death.

A ship suddenly split in half.

That was the signal.

And so with a tearful goodbye, the Straw-hats sailed away believing the Demon of Swordsmen would not follow.

**Should I keep going with this? **


End file.
